Atoms of Doom : Seconds to Midnight - Part I

The development of nuclear weapons by humans with 'Trinity' and their gradual evolution within a decade into megaton-class thermonuclear weapons has almost taken mankind onto the verge of a potential nuclear apocalypse on multiple occasions so far over the course of the Atomic Age. However, almost all global nuclear powers consistently maintain and still swear by the extremely dangerous & absurd doctrines of 'nuclear deterrence', 'mutual-assured destruction' and the 'launch on warning' strategic posture, despite being acutely aware of the existential threat they pose to the entire civilization.

The 'Atoms of War' and 'Atoms of Peace' aspects of the Atomic Age have been extensively elaborated upon, demonstrated & effectively propagated by nations, world leaders and other stakeholders since its dawn in 1945. However, the 'Atoms of Doom' aspect has barely been discussed, not given its due consideration & has rarely been debated publicly while having been conveniently brushed aside, effectively disregarded & swept under the carpet to ensure continued global acceptability, dominance and reliance upon of nuclear juggernaut as the linchpin of deterrence & national security globally in the geopolitical power games of one-upmanship and relative/overall power calculus.

This effort zooms-in upon and takes a close & behind-the-scenes look, based on recently declassified facts & information, at some of the most pivotal moments in world history when the 'Atoms of Doom' had almost effectively brought the mankind onto the verge of a potential doomsday with humanity just minutes away from the onset of a chain reaction to extinction, which were, somehow averted and humanity managed to be lucky and survive through the Cold War years. However, Hibakusha, as the survivors of Hiroshima & Nagasaki bombings and millions of other unsuspecting victims of radiation & atmospheric nuclear testing & nuclear disasters globally, are still around with their lives upended & altered forever irrevocably for generations to come. Further, around 3 million people are poised to lose their lives prematurely over the coming multi-millennia owing to Carbon-14 emissions released cumulatively by the 2,000+ atmospheric & below-surface nuclear tests already conducted through the course of the last century.

The gravity of the threat posed by the 'Atoms of Doom' to the mankind has been quite effectively captured by two quotes, by former Soviet premiers, namely, Nikita Khrushchev, with his remark, "the living will envy the dead (following a nuclear exchange)" and Mikhail Gorbachov, who had said, "It is my firm belief that the infinite and uncontrollable fury of nuclear weapons should never be held in the hands of any mere mortal ever again, for any reason." At this moment, think of Adolf Hitler & the Nazi War Machinery; which were dangerously close to developing nuclear weapons during World War II and, further imagine the likely, ensuing fate of mankind in that scenario, given the unfathomable scale of devastation & human suffering they could have easily & without remorse unleashed at the free world to subjugate it to their evil designs, had they managed to succeed in developing nuclear weapons and launch them, mounted on their V-2 rockets, which were a functional reality for the Nazis, in an era, wherein, missiles were practically non-existent and ballistic missile defenses being stuff belonging to the realm of science fiction...

May God forbid that kind of a situation from recurring & confronting mankind ever again. May God forbid that kind of a situation from recurring & confronting mankind ever again. However, with massive nuclear modernization underway globally and the prospect of 'Fire & Fury' & the 'Little Rocket Man' still around, history runs a serious risk of repeating itself once again...

Rajat Narang is the Co-Founder and Partner of a niche Research Firm pivoted on the Global Aerospace & Defense Industry for over a decade now apart from being a serial Author and active Podcaster.

He has authored over 2000+ syndicated research reports (across industries & sectors) and has authored around 8 books on Commercial & Military Aviation and Leadership. The end users of his reports have been senior executives of leading Commercial & Military Aviation OEMs led by Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, Gulfstream, Dassault, Textron Aviation and their supplier base, including, engine OEMs and T1 suppliers such as GE Aviation, Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney, Safran & Spirit Aerosystems. His reports have also been leveraged by the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin Corporation, BAE Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems and Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) on the defense side of A&D.

His educational background includes a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in International Business with Business Strategy as the core pivot followed by a Masters in Political Science with specialization in International Relations.

His podcasts "Birds of Fray: Top Gun Maverick" and "M.S. Dhoni: Leadership Masterclass from the Master of the Craft" are available on most leading global platforms, including, Amazon Music, Spotify and Apple & Google Podcasts and have a substantial following.

Bitten early by the A&D, Strategy & Leadership bugs while growing up, he has been actively following, tracking & pursuing them for almost 2 decades now.